May 2012 Barn Studies

Barn Study May 2; Oil on Canvas Panel 6″ x 8″

I was flipping through my sketchbook looking for a specific sketch to aid a painting. In the process. I came across some barn sketches. It reignited some interest. I decided to take time at the end of a few afternoon’s to commit the sketches to color studies. Now, if we ever get a few rainy days and break this drought, I will be able to take these designs  to larger formats.

Barn Study May 3; Oil on Canvas Panel 6″ x 8″

Barn Study May 4; Oil on Canvas Panel 6″ x 8″

Barn Study May 7; Oil on Canvas Panel 6″ x 8″

Blackhawk Springs – Plein Air May 11

Plein Air May 11- Blackhawk Springs, Oil on Canvas Panel 9″ x 12″

Arrived at this park and walked out to the river in hopes of finding a good view. That did not pan out. I walked a couple hundred yards down the recreation path. Then back the other way. Finally I noticed this spot just a few yards from the parking lot.

The painting went smoothly with one exception. About 50 minutes into the painting, the maintenance crew made an appearance on their lawn mowers. The two workers moved their machines around the area. It was like watching Stephen Kings “Langoliers”. At one point I noticed the man-on-mower about 50 yards in front of me. Waiting and facing my direction. I got the message and quickly moved my setup and gear so that he could mow the area where I had been working.

After he mowed my spot, I returned and finished my work. Nice morning.

Kishwaukee Preserve – Plein Air May 10

May 10, 2012 – Kishwaukee Preserve, Oil on Canvas Panel 8″ x 10″

Arrived at this park and headed to a spot that I was certain would hold good inspiration for the day. Upon arrival nothing at the spot jumped out at me. I drove around the park and found this spot. I had to park my car on the other side of the hill and walk back.

As I painted, ground squirrels skittered around. At first it startled me until I realized what the noise was. Soon it was somewhat comical. They would dart around and occasionally stop in sight to look at me and perhaps to see if I was threat to them. As time wore on they moved closer and closer, most likely to see if I would throw them a few morsels of food. I did not.

I also had to contend with the sunlight through the trees. Not for the sake of my design but for the inconvenience of having the sun glaring on the canvas and palette. I felt as though I was doing a dance with my paint box as every five to ten minutes I had to move to stay in the shade.

Stone Corner – Plein Air May 8

Shadows at Stone Corner, Oil on Canvas Panel 8″ x 10″

Southeast of Oregon is an area called Stone Corner. It is a farm known for its organic farming as well as the numerous piles of rocks (sculptures???). These gatherings of rocks are all over the property.

The Eagles Nest group decided to paint at this location. Many of the members had a hard time getting past the rocks. They could not seem to edit to find a scene or a design that would work.

I found this play of shadows and quickly set to work. A couple of the members were able to find something to paint. Others mulled around and chatted until lunchtime. Occasionally one or two would break away from the chit chat to check on our paintings. One viewer seemed upset that I did not include any the rock piles in my painting. I explained that my focus was not on the rocks and that I was not necessarily creating a portrait of this particular house. My focus was on the play of the light and shadows of this design. She did not seem to understand my explanation, but at least I was painting and she was not. So there.

After lunch, I decided to try to get one more painting done. A couple of the members were still painting, so I thought that I had enough time to paint without being the last member to leave. I spotted this old, rusted truck on the adjoining property. The early afternoon sun created challenges as did the clouds rolling through. As I finished this second work and started to pack my gear into the car I discovered that once again, I outlasted all of the other artists. I was the last to leave.

Trusted and Rusted, Oil on Canvas Panel 6″ x 8″

Espensheid April

Espensheid April; Oil on Canvas Panel 9″ x 12″

A plein air painting. The Kishwaukee River winds through this preserve in northern Illinois. It had rained during the early morning hours. It was overcast and rain threatened but I went out to paint anyway. Almost no breeze. The only sounds were those of the rushing waters and the occasional honks from the migrating geese. Only a couple hikers investigated my workings. Glad I went painting this day, although, I discovered that I REALLY NEED a new pair of hiking boots (leaky shoes create wet socks, cause cold feet).

Grand Detour – Study

Grand Detour Study; Oil on Canvas Panel 6″ x 8″

About three years ago during the Fields Project, I created a watercolor painting at a horse farm. The painting did not turn out well, but I felt that it had possibilities. The painting and the idea have sat and simmered since then. I have thought about this design numerous times.

The other day, I spent the morning plein air painting. It was a cool day and I had not dressed properly. I was chilled and after completing the painting, I headed home for some hot soup and a sandwich.

Following lunch, I went into my studio. I have a painting in the works but just was not motivated to work on it. The design of this horse farm came to mind. I ran upstairs, grabbed the watercolor painting and dashed back to the studio. I did this small study to refresh my memory in preparation for committing this idea to a larger format.

Plein Air April 24 Monroe Road Oregon

Monroe Road Oregon, Oil on Canvas Panel 9″ x 12″

The Eagles Nest Group had scheduled to meet at a farm just west of Oregon, Illinois at 9:00 am. I arrived at the address a few minutes after nine and did not see any of the other artists. Concerned that I might have the wrong address, I scouted out the neighboring farms. Still did not see any familiar faces. I made my way to a church parking lot and telephoned the woman who schedules our painting sites. Cindy indicated that she and one other artist were running late but would be at the location in a few minutes.

Waiting for the group to arrive,  I felt that I was missing some great cloud patterns and lighting effects. Rather than wait any longer for the others to arrive, I took a chance and decided to paint this scene from the front of the church lot. The church had some activity this morning. Fortunately they did not seem to mind me using their entrance to do this painting.

About twenty minutes into my painting, I noticed two of the Eagles Nest artists drive past on their way to the scheduled site, the farm next to the church. Glad that I was impatient and started my painting when I did.

Plein Air – April Along Pierce

April Along Pierce, Oil on Canvas Panel 9″ x 12″

The days are getting nicer. A beautiful, but cool Saturday morning. I grabbed my gear and headed to Rock Cut. I had a couple sites in mind. Unfortunately neither site grabbed my interest. I hiked along one trail which lead down to the lake. Nope. Made my way to one of the fishing docks. Nothing. Returning to my car, I noticed a gap between a couple bushes. The path lead down to a nice spot along the  lake. Not much room for painting. Nice spot which offers several design possibilities. Busier than I expected. More hikers than I anticipated.

Funny overhearing the various comments and conversations from the hikers as they neared my spot. I was a bit hidden and people did not expect me. A few people were obviously embarrassed by what I heard them say. Interesting morning.

Plein Air April 18

Plein Air April 18 – Blackhawk; Oil on Canvas Panel 9″ x 12″

Ventured out to one of my favorite parks in hope of finding some inspiration. Not a problem. As I was setting up, I took a 360 to see if another view offered better possibilities. It worked.

I turned my gear around and started this work. Murphy’s Law prevailed. About 45 minutes into this work, some guy rolled his big pick up truck into a parking space blocking my view. He got out of his truck. I thought that he was going down to the river. He went past me and moved about two hundred yards to the south to sit at a picnic table and enjoy his beverage. The part that was more upsetting is that there was a parking spot adjacent to the table he was at. Why did he have to park here? What a Knuckle head.

He finally meandered back and eventually left so that I could finish my work without having to go through a lot of additional exercise to capture my view.

Plein Air April 17

Plein Air April 17 - The Rock Near Meridian; Oil on Canvas Panel 8" x 10"

Traveled southwest of Rockford to check out the possibilities at one of the forest preserves. I could see potential, but nothing jumped out at me this day. After canvasing the area for awhile, I opted to move on. I decided to travel further south to the Rock River. I found a wayside along the Rock River. The passing clouds created a challenge due to the constant changes in lighting.